January 1st 2014 saw the opening of the very first cannabis shop in Colorado as the cultivation, manufacture and sale of the controversial plant became fully legalized. Since then, the state has seen a lot of promising results.
Laura Pegram of Drugpolicy.org wrote in her article, Six Months of Marijuana Sales: Positive Trends Emerge in Colorado, that “even the state’s Director of Marijuana Coordination was quick to note recently that ‘the sky hasn’t fallen‘ since the first retail shops opened.”
Colorado is proving to be a great example of how cannabis legalization can benefit the economy. Although it is still a bit early to make any definitive extrapolations about cannabis legalization, there are a few emerging trends in Colorado that signal good signs for the state which drugpolicy.org has listed on their website:
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According to Uniform Crime Reporting data for Denver, there has been a 10.1% decrease in overall crime from this time last year and a 5.2% drop in violent crime.
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The state has garnered over 10 million in taxes from retail sales in the first 4 months. The first 40 million of this tax revenue is earmarked for public schools and infrastructure, as well as for youth educational campaigns about substance use.
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There are renewed efforts to study the medical efficacy of marijuana within the state, making Colorado an epicenter for marijuana research.
Cannabis legalization has already yielded some positive stats for Colorado. People in power are realizing there is money to be made. Will Colorado be the guinea pig for the rest of the world to follow suit? -
The marijuana industry has developed quickly, generating thousands of new jobs. It is estimated there are currently about 10,000 people directly involved with this industry, with 1,000 to 2,000 gaining employment in the past few months alone.
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Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, who opposed Amendment 64, recently compared Colorado’s economy since legalization to that of other states by noting, “While the rest of the country’s economy is slowly picking back up, we’re thriving here in Colorado.” For example, the demand for commercial real estate has increased drastically, with houses in the state appreciating up to 8.7 percent in the past year alone.
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The voters of Colorado retain an overall positive view of the regulated marijuana market, with 54% of Colorado voters still supporting marijuana legalization and regulation, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll.
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By removing criminal penalties for certain marijuana-related offenses, thousands of individuals will avoid the collateral consequences associated with a criminal record. The state is estimated to potentially save $12-40 million over the span of a year simply by ending arrests for marijuana possession.
This is yet another bullet in the coffin for cannabis propaganda. We are now at a point where the government has finally realized, or perhaps finally admitted what they’ve already known, how much money there is to be made from cannabis legalization.
On top of that, there is undeniable evidence surrounding the use of cannabis as a means to treat disease. This is the real cherry on the cake. The fact that this widely available plant is showing results in eradicating cancer, today’s most prominent and insistent disease, is monumental when really considered. Could we be on the brink of a massive cannabis-health revolution? If positive economic and social stats keep on rising in Colorado, we could be seeing the beginning of this revolution very soon.
Good to know that, however I must correct the line “Will Colorado be the guinea pig for the rest of the world to follow suit?”. That accolade goes to a country called Uruguay.
it should be legal so everyone shifts their consciousness >:(
Ok this tells us something really important about the people who dominate our lives, who write our laws. They did know about marijuana that can be proven by the US government taking out the patent on cannabinoids in 2003 for their curative effects. They probably also knew that opening up the availability would create prosperity and make a good revenue stream and employment bonanza. But they still wanted it prohibited. Why might you ask. Well for this reason alone I would think – they want control over us much more than money. Put that in your pipe and smoke it and give it some thought. They want to control us. That is their overwhelming modus operandi.
Re: #7. So merely removing an act from the list of crimes saves money. Ok, sure. Let’s save LOTS of money and remove ALL acts from the list of crimes. We’ll save billions! Can you see how ridiculous #7 is?
And, no, I’m not endorsing 1-6.
You sound like the same John talking in the energy forums.
This type of ignorance knows no bounds.
How is nutritional supplementation an illegal act?
Read the U.S. Constitution John. It is written on hemp. Cannabis.
Read the 13th amendment.
The Law of the Land states that 75 percent of the states of the union need to vote to change a law. This has not happened since 1812. The Common Law is represented through the Fundamental Laws of God and Nature. Hence, the law of the land legally does not repress the act of growth or consumption of any of gods plants. The discretion is left open to the freedom of choice of the individual.
The laws that you state are actually a crime against the freedoms of the people of the united states
Note the lack of upper case on united states, as the founding fathers of America dictated.
I understand these rights better than most, and I am Canadian.
Quit talking out of ignorance, John. Take the blue pill, the one your pharmacist prescribes for your intolerance, your ignorance and your fundamental lack of well being, lack of good heath and the under-educated, over-medicated existence that you truly seem to condemn us to.
Now salute your flag, you ignoramus.. It represents the freedoms that you are not allowing to exist through this sort of intolerance.
More to the point, the medical aspects are irrefutable. I have personally destroyed tumors and lymph nodes using cannabis extractions, as well as healing many epidemiological issues.
ALL medical observations are showing us this to be a non-toxic approach with vast healing properties and in endo-immunal cannabinoidal response.
So grow up.
Hugs and kisses.
Kev
very well put
Hey Kev, you hit the nail on the head when you said cannabis EXTRACTIONS. Lets get one thing clear, smoking cannabis has no medical value what so every Oh sure you get high which helps with some pain and it helps some people with sleeping issues But as far as healing goes, smoking it does more harm then good. So the problem that I have is why dont we open shop’s that ONLY sell oil’s or edibles? That is where the medical value is.
Smoking has medical value..1) Reducing pain it is well documented. 2) Increasing appetite in cancer patients, yes it can be done by eating also but smoking or vaping it is also very useful 3) nausea works very good for this also. 4) your mind plays a big part in the care and healing of your body, smoking it can help relieve stress in some, for some it does the opposite.So t say smoking has no medical value I think is not correct…
Well, there are benefits to smoking, however there is harm done from smoking too. This leaves the benefits in doubt.
First, do no harm.
This is what today’s “medicines” and the producers of these toxic chemicals regretfully do not take into consideration.
Vaporization is fantastic. There are many inexpensive units available. I have personally tested more than 6 dozen over the last 2 years. We are associated with Atomic Vapor, and have access to many of the manufacturers directly. Some of my design changes and recommendations are already in mass production.
The issue that I see,well, one of them, is that any burning plant fiber creates benzene, which is carcinogenic. Removing these compounds by separating the fiber from the resin, the source of the THC, is the safest and easiest way to remedy this.
I was part of a lawsuit here in Canada. Kirk Toussaw, the attorney arguing this case, was quite elaborate. He used my “orange juice argument,” one that I discussed with him with clients, after the police illegally destroyed his medical grow room. This client was an ex RCMP.
Yes, that’s correct.
An ex-member.
This is not the fellow in Nova Scotia, who was smoking in his Red Surge Uniform.
This fellow is named Carlos Cavaco, Cam we call him. He is quite outspoken and has been battling the government for years for access to Cannabis.
This is also the client who’s grow system was testing the very first LG Microwave Plasma grow lamp.
After the raid, and the destruction of his rooms, we called several attorneys. Kirk Toussaw was recommended. During the initial interview, I explained my argument.
It was simple.
I drink orange juice because it is healthy for my body, and I enjoy it.
I will even eat an orange to get it.
I will not eat the peel, the seeds and the branch that it grew on.
These parts of the plant/tree contain toxins.
The same applies to Cannabis.
After hearing this argument, the judge allowed cannabis and all it’s forms, including hash, resin, and oil, available for medical use and consumption.
So now, after years of battling these ignorant people and their police agencies, after suffering illegal home invasions and being assaulted and arrested numerous times over the past two decades, 3 times in the past 5 years, these thoughtless and arrogant acts are starting to slow down.
It is about time, for Pete’s sake!
The harm caused by the police has been very apparent. The ignorance and the mind washing in regards to this harmless substance is astounding.
The legal costs and the stress after these actions are very real. The police walk away and wash their hands, as very few of these incursions actually go to court, and the people who were suffering in the first place are left destroyed emotionally and physically waste away after they return to pharmaceuticals. They have no choice after their medicine is taken away by the police..
More of these people, more of these police, should contact L.E.A.P., Law enforcement against prohibition.
They may learn something new, and true, for a change.
Have a look at my image…this is just a taste of what we were doing.
With the addition of monoatomic minerals added to the feeding solution, the future is bright!
I am now testing the new Magnum LED series for the CEO of the company. He is broadcasting the results online. I do not know the site! Imagine that. I am so busy, and see the real thing, so I never bothered to look or even ask!
I will find the sites that he uses and link them here at a future date.
S far, these LED’s, which draw slightly over 400 watts are outdoing 1000 watt hps on digital ballasts, running on high output, at 1100 watts.
They have a similar spectrum to the Plasma, but I have not tested lumen output as of yet. These LED’s produce a fair amount of non-visible frequencies, which are not viewable to a light meter.
The LG plasma put out 220 000 Lux. It also had non-viewable spectrum’s of radiation.
If anyone has not heard of Thomas Galen Hieronymus, check out his work on radiation and radionics. It can be very informative for people working in Horticulture.
Peace!
Kev
Well said
Hey fellow Canadian, best reply I’ve seen in a long time. Really appreciate the time you took to educate Mr John, who is clearly still brainwashed. Thank you!!!
Awesome. Thank you! 🙂
If the police are now ignoring these acts, they aren’t spending man hours on arrests, no arrests means less people incarcerated, that means less money spent keeping said people alive and (mostly) healthy on the state’s dime. That’s simply common sense, and doesn’t take anything close to a genius to figure out.
To address the rest of this foolish post – If we never spent a cent to control crime, wouldn’t that save a ton of money? The answer to that is yes.
I would argue that Afghanistan has been making a nice living off of cannabis for some time, several thousand years or so.
But it is nice to know that the political structure of the planet is starting to catch on to what I knew undeniably by the age of 7.
Way to go.
hi dee hi Colorado is flying high 🙂 Who could ever assume that the universal solution for all the problems is marijuana -the building block of welfare. Hippy …sorry, Happy nation! 😀
You forgot item #8. Legal Prescription Pain Medication deaths have dropped by 25%.
And that is simply massive Mark, simply a massive drop. More than that, these people are getting better not worse, removing the harmful toxins from their daily regiment.
This is a mind altering drug, like alcohol, what if someone is behind a wheel and gets into an accident because they are impaired. Is there a thing as AUI (Altered under the influence), and if so what is the acceptable limit and what isn’t? Is there a number? Has this even been determined?
yes there tests for being impared on cannibis. where are the tests for prescription drugs? also it has been shown in several studies that someone on cannibis is a much safer driver than someone on booze. not that anyone should be driving on booze, cannibis, or prescription drugs.driving while impaired traffic accidents are down in Colorado most likely because people who would once drive while on booze are now driving on cannibus which leads to LESS traffic accidents.
Get into an accident while on pot? They’re only going 5mph for f*ck’s sake!
The least you could do bro is give credit where credit is due…….Bill……Hicks…..
DUI still goes into play here. It doesn’t matter if it’s booze, MJ, robotussin, or prescribed medication. Driving while impaired is always a crime.
Unlike alcohol users, marijuana users will gladly give up their keys and let someone else drive…they don’t care who drives, as long as they get the pizza…i know this because i’ve always been the driver…i’m allergic.
Funny you should say that – I’m a pot smoker. . . and hold down a 70+ hour-a-week job. . .
You must be projecting your welfare-ness onto innocent pot smokers. . .
As soon as you can find a murder with no victim. . . a rape with no victim. . . a robbery with no victim. . . then (and only then) will I admit that your idea to “remove all acts from the list of crimes” has any merit. . .
Until then, I’ll give you a clue – free of charge (I’m such an evil capitalist!).
No victim, no crime.
Smoking cannabis allows for easier self-titration. . . One can take as few (or as many) hits as needed to gain the desired effect, and the effects are felt within minutes.
Eats and oils take longer to take effect – so it’s easier to over- (or under-) do it.
There are other benefits to smoking cannabis. . . I’ll let you find them on your own, now that you know that there are benefits. . .
I’m going to sound bitchy and I hate that, but it’s “nail in the coffin” and “icing on the cake.”
Only full unrestricted cannabis will allow everyone to share equally. Cannabis should be totally unregulated… like spinach or bamboo.
Don’t get too excited. This article isn’t very accurate.
– Even Huff Post said that the crime numbers were skewed to look better than they are. DWI violations are up proportionately with the increase of users.
– We have already had cartels attempt to build “legitimacy” into its operation by working through the dispensaries.
– The money won’t be going into classrooms to help our kids. It is earmarked for new school construction and development.
– Colorado’s economy has weathered the entire depression better than other states. Our 8% employment figure has remained constant from the beginning. It is not due to legalizing pot.
– The tax revenue is about 60% less than the bill supporters estimated. It is still cheaper to buy medical grade and people are using this route to work around the heavy taxes. Illegal sales (street) are still very popular since people don’t want to pay a premium.
– They still haven’t figured out how to enforce the laws since most of them only apply in Denver County. You can’t sell or smoke legally in Douglas County, for example.
– And finally – though the article shows Hickenlooper as a supporter. He has already spoken in favor of retracting the policy, and restricting access to marijuana again. Of course, he changes his mind with the wind…
Believe it or not – I generally support legalization, but I don’t think people should have a rose-colored perspective of the recent changes. Reality can’t get better unless we’re dealing with facts.
The Huff Post article cannot be trusted AT ALL. The author of the article is the co-founder of Project SAM, a scare-tactic organization which promotes lies about cannabis.
I think you should re-read your thirteenth amendment friend. You will find the legal structure of what you discuss to be in complete disrepute, due to the infringement of the legal structure of the rules of law.
This document is a reminder that the rules and freedoms imposed on man do not infringe upon the laws of God and nature.
These “laws” do both. And more. Much more.
More to the point, the money saved by the destruction of lives caused by big pharma will also have an impact on the community. The medical costs that will be saved will be massive. The legal and criminal costs, also paid for by the community, will also be saved.
Then there will be the drop in alcoholism.
There will also be a drop in spousal abuse.
Child abuse, spousal rape and other acts of violence will also decrease.
The changes that this can have on a community are massive, far past the economical gains.
I have been a consumer of cannabis since before the age of seven.
I detested cigarettes since before I can remember, and I remember my third birthday party.
I was also an advanced student, and learned far beyond my age group. I was able to study at Uviic at the age of 16 and 17 in a special studies class. My son is 17, and enrolled in the same sort of studies group and will also be attending the University of Victoria, this year.
I have been involved with advanced horticulture since 1992, and founded my company, Modern Irrigation, in 1994.
Since that time, I have watched people die from cancer, due to smoking tobacco. My friends parents, other friends that I worked with, others that I knew, even my own father died this year from cancer due to an entire lifetime of smoking tobacco.
I did not know my father had cancer until he passed away. Had he known how simple the cure was, he would have laughed.. He actually liked weed. He just didn’t smoke enough of it in his later years, or eat it.
Had he simply eaten extracted cannabis oil, 200 mg per day, 3 times per day, for 90 days, he could have healed himself.
We’d all be better off if the police focused on crimes that have actual victims!
Does anyone honestly believe that wasting $20 Billion and arresting 3/4 Million Americans annually for choosing a substance Scientifically proven to be safer than what the govt allows, is a sound policy?
Of course, there are many reason as to why “they” have kept it illegal. We have natural CBD receptors in our endocrine system, I’d imagine with #3 we will soon see even more convincing evidence necessary for the nay-sayers to finally understand it medical value. Are you telling me “they” don’t know now this? That “they” have not invested the money to figure this all out? Yea right! The reason I believe as to why? With all the medical benefits cannabis supports, we would “need”(we really don’t need anything) fearless pharma drugs, which would 1. mean less money for them, and 2. we would have less issues as a collective, which would help to lose their control of us. They are the ones putting cannabis on the streets illegally. It’s like a monopoly to them, they buy it, supply it at a surplus rate, then fine the “criminals” selling and using it. I think however, they are more concerned with “us” getting off pharma drugs, they don’t want us being healthy. And last but not least, this is a spiritual herb! This would help so many more people to awaken to the world around them.
The government was always making money on marijuana , now they do it legally in Colorado . The police are the ones that think they’ll suffer , yet there’s actually more work for them with it legalized .
Jeff…Love your writes & diverse subject matter. A job that inspires…how perfect!
mpo on the Legal Weed thing:
I find it sad that We, as a collective, once again, had an Amazing opportunity to rise above the non-sense, and We did not. Rather, ‘The Smokers’ sheepled right into the herding corrals for IDing, Pharm USA is buying up genetic patents as they emerge & is main Host of the grow biz entirely, Insurance was sparked to expansion (as if we/they needed more of this), and Why are we still using Taxing as means to run a country’s necessities??? Bad juju!
I made a plea for Amnesty when this all started…Amnesty the plant from human judiciary/governing systems, Amnesty the peeps in prison cells relating to such…Neither fits the bill of “Danger to Society”, give them back their Freedom to Be, & chalk up the mis-take with higher thinking rising. Hardly even a nibble of support…Those that don’t use Cannibis couldn’t care less either way, those that do saw only the flashing lights of “Get It Here!” with little thinking past that.
Being involved in what is deemed as ‘Alternative Health Care’, the actions of this one allowance of irresponsibility will cause untold demise to all fields other than Allopathic/Modern Med….hmmm…doesn’t anyone see the implications in “He who owns the cure, holds the power.”??? Good thing they haven’t moved to imprison Dandelions (a fab medicinal, btw) in same disrespect…yet! But precedence has now been rendered…inglorious genius, indeed!
Anyway…Food for thought…Plants do not belong in Human bondage & Mother Nature’s Pantry needs no ‘owner-operators’ of Her wares. But HealthCare, USA thanks you all, with every sparkling toast of $1000 Champagne at every gala event, for your support to their well-being…It helps pay lobbyists. (Whaaat???) :p
marijuana is great
10 000 years of recorded use and cultivation shows us that this is very true!
I do find the narrow minded and half blind assumptions childishly humorous. Why do Americans always feel that they are first, when they have moved into last place with their war on everything, from thought to plants to freedom? Other countries with other people have grown and used these compounds and traded them for millennium.. Now, Colorado leads the world? Fucking Colorado, a chunk of rock that simply sits in the muddy Earth.
People lead, while names of land masses sit idly and do nothing. People lead while government restricts, controls and kills.
People lead. The politicians are being forced to follow.
Perhaps we should place the leadership where it belongs.
With the bees.
Thank you bees, for maintaining these plants for us, while the american government led coalition attempted to eradicate it from the face of the planet.
We are not the smartest race of people who ever lived, are we?